David Paul Bell, born Oct. 2, 1939, in Chicago, Ill., the only son of Ronald and Mary (Jones) Bell, left this world to start the next part of his life on Dec. 20, 2015.
In 1940, David lost his father. Mary Bell moved the family to Moline, Ill., to be closer to family. In 1946, she met and married Edward Larkin, a recently returned veteran of WWII.
Edward was a newspaper man and his work took his family all over the U.S.
Finally settling in the Stockton, Calif., area, David graduated from high school in 1957, then attended San Juan Delta College and finally Cal State, Sacramento. In 1968, after several years in the credit and consumer finance business, he went to work for the California Division of Highways working in facility management.
In 1979, a promotional opportunity transferred him to the California Highway Patrol where he met Jean Mae Yuskus, who became the love of his life. Jean and David were married Feb. 20, 1985.
In the summer of that year, David saw another opportunity with the California Lottery in Network Operations and Contract Compliance.
In 1990 he returned to this first department, now the Department of Transportation and retired in 1998.
David and Jean’s first vacation together was to the Pacific Northwest, and it was a pattern to be repeated every year. In 1998 they retired and moved to Oak Harbor where he lived until his last departure. David was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, serving as a greeter and usher and, with wife Jean, delivered Communion to the homebound.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, John O’Brien Council #3361 and Friends of Oak Harbor Library.
For 11 years, he and Jean were long-term care ombudsman, serving as advocates for residents living in senior care and assisted living facilities. David was also active in the Northwest Regional Council, the Area Agency on Aging.
David and Jean enjoyed overseas travel, reading, classical music, quilting, cooking and recipe development and spending time with friends.
He and Jean were constant companions, and one of his ongoing thoughts when referring to Jean was, “I never could have done it without you.”
David is survived by his much loved wife Jean of Oak Harbor; her children, Steve Mayer (Brenda) of Eugene, Ore.; David Mayer of Redding, Calif.; Liz (Larry) Blevins of Auburn, Calif.; Linda Meeks of Rancho Cordova, Calif.; and Alan (Myrna) Meeks of Redding; five grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.
Funeral Mass for David Bell was celebrated at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Oak Harbor, with Rev. Paul Pluth, JCL as Celebrant. Rites of Committal followed at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Oak Harbor. Please visit David page in the Book of Memories at www.wallifuneralhome.com to share memories and condolences. Arrangements are entrusted to Wallin Funeral Home & Cremation, LLC, Oak Harbor.
